The King and Queen of Hearts
by thecoldest raindrops are tears
Summary: This is about Remy or Gambit and Rogue's relationship And how she dealt with the other girls And how Remy dealt with the other guys Rated T just in case
1. Steal Magnolias

**Author's Note: Well I couldn't figure out which catagory to put this story in, especially since Wolverine and the X-Men is a continuation of X-Men Evolution (I found out that through an interview. Apparently, they're using the same creators/writers for the new show). This about the age where Rogue is at in the Wolverine and the X-men, but it's before the Sentinel, so I decided to put it in X-men Evolution. So enjoy this story :) And I had Rogue sing a country song. :) I've been a fan of Rogue/Gambit for so long, I finally decided to write a fanfic :D R&R!**

Rogue sighed as she sat down on the chair inside the one of the many living rooms in the Xavier mansion. She sat next to Jean who was sitting nearby reading a fashion magazine. In another part of the room, Kitty and Bobby were goofing off and playing around with each other. Close by Nightcrawler, or Kurt, and Scott were talking about something. "_They're all so happy. An' lucky._" She thought and then sighed one last time.

Jean, who was reading her magazine, looked up slowly from what she was reading and looked at Rogue. She was in pajamas and her hair was a mess. But she looked unhappy. Then again, Rogue was unhappy a lot. To Jean, Rogue was beautiful, and not just on the inside, but also on the outside. She wondered what was bothering Rogue. Jean could have just read her mind, but that would have invaded her privacy, so she decided to ask first, before sneaking in. "What's wrong Rogue? And you're still in your sleeping clothes." Jean asked as she put down her magazine.

Rogue looked at her and then down at her feet, "Eh its nuthin Jean. Jus slept a lil longer than ah expected."

Jean decided to go into her head, "_Are you sure Rogue? You seem unhappy._"

Rogue, who was used to people being inside her head like the Professor, immediately looked up and saw Jean, who had one eyebrow raised up, as if she was saying that she did not believe her. "Ah well I might as well say it be fore ya go into my head and do some searchin' for mah memories. Well I'm just a lil depressed is all. Ah mean look at you. You're all happy and what not. Mah life just ain't as good as yours."

"Well there's no reason to get angry Rogue," Jean told her reassuringly, "We care for you and love you Rogue. You have a happy and loving family. Gambit loves you too."

Rogue scoffed, "Yeah. Ah'm sure he does."

_

* * *

_

Earlier that day…

"_Rogue!" Remy called out from outside her room. He knocked on the door hard. It was early in the morning, before the sun was even rising above the horizon. Rogue put on her gloves. She stumbled out of bed and opened the door. _

_Rogue yawned and rubbed her eyes. "What'cha need Remy?"_

"_I'm leavin' cherie," he kissed her hand. "I got some unfinished business I gotta complete." And with that he ran and left her sight._

* * *

"So where do you think he went?" Jean asked.

"Have you been readin' mah thoughts miz telepath?" Rogue asked angrily.

"Well I…" Jean started to say but Rogue cut her off.

She angrily got up and threw a pillow at Jean. "It seems to me like ah can't get no privacy in this house!" Rogue angrily stormed out of the room muttering something, and everyone watched her walk out.

From the opposite direction in which she entered, the Professor came into the room. He sighed. And looked at everyone who tried to look in the opposite direction and avoid his gaze. The professor sighed. He was going to have to search everyone's mind to find what caused Rogue to act up. No one knew what the cause was except for Jean. He rolled over to where she was sitting. Xavier looked at her suspiciously and Jean sighed. "What is wrong with Rogue?" He asked.

"She's a little sad about Remy's sudden departure. Rogue seems unsure about why he left and his motives." Jean answered him.

"And?" The professor knew there was another reason for why she stormed out of the room angrily.

"I read her mind trying to figure out why she was angry at Remy," Jean softly replied, "I couldn't help it. I wanted to help her, but that did not help much."

"I know your intentions were good Jean, but you must let people have their privacy. You have to allow people to come to you with their problems. Finding out why people are angry is easy for you since you are a telepath, but it is not easy for them to be open with their feelings."

Jean nodded. "You're right Professor. I'll go and apologize to Rogue." She walked away, but before she got out of the room she mentally asked the professor, "_Do you know where Remy went?_"

"_I did not read where he planned to go,_" The professor replied, "_But Cerebro could always tell me if I wanted to know._"

Jean nodded and walked out of the room.

* * *

"Watch me strike a match on all mah wasted time," Rogue sang in her room, "as far as ah'm concerned. You're jus 'nother picture tah burn." She sighed and plopped on her bed. In her pocket she found the Queen of Hearts card that Gambit gave her. She looked it over. "_The Queen of Hearts, My lucky lady_," as Remy so described it. And he gave it to her.

Ever since Gambit came into the mansion, he and Rogue had been inseparable. But not once did Remy ever let her know that he loved her. Remy knew that Rogue could not be touched, meaning no kissing, or any sort of touch, even a hug, unless she was completely covered with clothes. He had a charm on people, especially ladies, but Rogue would not let him know that she was charmed by him, though she secretly was. Only she called him Remy. Everyone else at the mansion called him Gambit.

Rogue looked at the card once again. Did Gambit love her? She growled and threw the card to the ground. Suddenly she heard a knock at the door. She got up, opened the door, and found Jean standing at the door.

"Hi Rogue," Jean greeted her cheerfully, "I…" was all she could say before Rogue closed the door on her. She sighed. Did Jean want to cause more trouble for her?

Jean, on the other hand, was trying to be patient with Rogue. "Rogue," she knocked on the door.

"Go away!" Rogue yelled. "If ya wanna talk, why don'tcha jus read mah mind instead!"

Jean sighed. "I'm doing this for your own good," she replied. She waited for Rogue to unlock the door, but she did not. Jean then used her mind to unlock the door from the outside. She then opened the door and walked in.

"Are ya serious?" Rogue groaned. "Why do ya wanna talk to me anyway?" She then walked over to the door and slammed it. Rogue sighed and plopped on the bed. She turned the other way to try and ignore Jean.

Jean looked around Rogue's room. She found a card on the ground. With her mind, she brought it up to her face and examined it over. Jean knew it belonged to Gambit. She gasped when she realized it was the Queen of Hearts. Jean looked at the sullen Rogue who lay on the bed, and smirked. "Who did this come from?" she asked like any teenage girl would, with a little hint of suspicion in her voice that teased Rogue. Since she would not look at the card, Jean used her mind to move the card in front of Rogue.

Rogue growled and snatched the card from Jean. Why did Jean want to know so badly? Since when did the popular queen want to know about her life? Rogue always thought that she was too busy spending time with Scott. In fact, if there was anyone that she would tell her feelings about this to, it would be Kurt, Kitty since she was her roommate, or Logan, since he was a father towards her. Rogue did not want to lose her control in front of Jean, so she just decided to ignore her and maybe the girl would read her mind or get the idea that she did not want to be bothered.

Jean sat down on her bed, and smiled. "I noticed you're not wearing such dark make-up anymore. In fact, it seems as if you're not wearing any at all. I think you look prettier without all the make-up. Is the reason why you're wearing less make-up because of Gambit? I mean you stopped wearing so much make-up when…"

Rogue groaned and sat up. "Listen here Jean," she looked Jean in the eyes and replied, "If you're here tryin to find out if Gambit an' I are datin, lemme let you in on somethin." She paused to let the suspense build up inside the telepath. Jean leaned in closer with a smile on her face as she waited for Rogue to say something. "REMY AND I AIN'T DATIN! WE'RE JUST ACQUAINTANCES IS ALL! SO I SUGGEST YOU STOP SNOOPIN IN ON MAH BUSINESS!" Rogue yelled back at her.

"Remy eh?" Jean asked with a smirk on her face.

Rogue covered her mouth. _Oops._ "Remy," how would she explain this? "Remy is his real name," she told Jean. "Only his friends call him that."

"So you're his friend?" Jean asked, and Rogue nodded. "And maybe something more, Queen of Hearts." She smiled.

Rogue did not answer but looked away. The only reason that Remy and she bonded was because they were both from the South and loved it there. But when Rogue and Gambit first met, it was if there was bond between them. Yet then again, it was probably his charm working on her again. However back in New Orleans, it seemed as if he really liked her, until she found out he was using her. But then Remy gave her the Queen of Hearts, and that was when she was really confused. And well after the Apocalypse battle, he came along and joined the Xmen, just as Professor saw in his vision. She and the rest of the Xmen stayed inside, preparing for the war the professor feared. With school done for the year, well at least for the Xmen it was and well with Mr. McCoy as a tutor, the Xmen spent most of their time inside. Remy and she spent a lot of time together.

"Why don't we just find him?" Jean asked interrupting her thoughts, "If what you fear is true, then you know it's best to drop him. But if he's not, then you can come back happy."

"What I fear?" Rogue asked suspiciously.

"I know what you fear," Jean replied calmly. "Every girl wonders this. 'Is he cheating on me by meeting another girl?' Well now you can find out!"

Well that was not exactly what Rogue was thinking. In fact, it was the last thing she was thinking about. Rogue was thinking that he had gone back to stealing again and joined the Thieves Guild _again_. She had been secretly working with Gambit on that little vice of his. Even though he was also working with the professor, she wanted to help in her own way. But she was not going to let Jean know this, so she replied, "Two things wrong with your problem. What are we gonna do when we find him? And how are we gonna find him?"

Jean smiled, "We don't have to talk to him once we find him. We can just be spies and stand watch from the back. And as for finding him, I've got an idea."


	2. They're Leaving On A Jet Plane

**Author's Note: Wooh, well this is more than I usually got from the Mulan fanfic spot. I'm so glad all these people are interested in reading my story and especially with this being my first fanfic in this section. :) Well here's another update. Thanks for reading! R&R!**

**Special thanks to:**

**Laceylou76**

**XxSailorWinchesterXx**

**tenchi13**

**PhoenixCAJ**

**k-hunter2000**

**RubyPen**

"Jean!" Rogue yelled as she pulled her around the mansion. Jean hushed her and told her to be quiet. Rogue sighed, "Where are you takin' me? And at this hour?"

"_Shh!_" Jean whispered shouted at Rogue as they entered into the Cerebro room. This room was near several of the sleeping Xmen. "I'm going to check Cerebro now to find where your precious Cajun is at. In the meantime, I want you to change into your uniform. We have to stay discreet but not dress up like a normal person though."

"No," Rogue answered her and crossed her arms, "Ah'm stayin here and watchin you do this whole telepath Cerebro thing. Ah want to know where Remy, err, Gambit is. Ah ain't leaving mah spot. And when you change into your uniform is when ah change into mah uniform."

"Do you have to be this stubborn Rogue?" Jean sighed and put on the Cerebro case on her head, "You can stay, but I need you to be quiet as I search for Remy."

Rogue sighed and watched as Jean searched for Remy. She had never been in the room when there was a Cerebro session. So what she saw amazed her. As Jean checked Paris, a map of France came on the room around her. When she checked into Paris, it quickly zoomed into the city and all these bodies came along the screen. Many men and women of all ages were shown around Rogue. Jean quickly zoomed by them. None of them were Remy.

"Try some place in the continental U.S." Rogue suggested.

Jean sighed and answered Rogue, "What did I say about keeping quiet? Besides, Cerebro follows his path. Gambit had been using his powers in Paris, France. And now it followed him to New Orleans."

"_He could have taken the route straight home instead of visiting by New Orleans,_" Rogue thought. And as Jean searched through New Orleans, Rogue saw the same thing. There were several people around even at this hour. "_The Thieves Guild are probably the only people up at this time_," Rogue thought.

Jean took off the cap and looked at Rogue. "You're right," she told her, "Why didn't he take the route straight home?"

Rogue growled. Jean had been going through her thoughts again. She was going to need to learn how to do a mental shield on her mind.

"Put on your costume and meet me at the Blackbird," Jean told her, "I know where he is."

* * *

Rogue quietly walked out of her room and towards the Blackbird. She had been given a new uniform. Everyone had been given a new uniform. It was not the black uniform she had before. It was different. This uniform was yellow and green. She wore a brown belt around her waist and wore a brown Xmen jacket. Her hair had gotten pretty long, so she tied it up. And before Rogue left the room, she glanced at her reflection. She liked the way she looked.

Rogue met up with Jean in the Blackbird room. She was sitting inside the Blackbird when Rogue entered the room. Once she saw Rogue, she immediately came down from inside the Blackbird. "You didn't have to come down from your pilot seat Jean, ah was just about to go up there mahself."

"No it's okay," Jean smiled at her, "I just want to make sure you're ready to go on this trip."

Rogue nodded. "Ah'm ready."

"Good," Jean grinned. "Let's go." She ran up the steps of the Blackbird and then turned around and said to Rogue, "by the way, you look really good in those colors other than black uniform."

Rogue smiled. "Thanks Jean."

Suddenly from behind them, the door opened. A distraught Kitty in her pajamas stepped into the room. Her hair was a mess, but her face told a different story. She was sleepy, but was angry enough to be awake and know what was going on. "What is going on?" she angrily asked with her arms crossed, "Where are you two going? And at like two a.m. on a Sunday night?"

"Uh," Jean and Rogue both said. They did not know what to say but they could not let Kitty go back and tell Logan or the Professor. Both knew what would happen if they found out, nothing but trouble. Rogue looked at Jean and smiled. She smiled back. The two knew what each other were thinking because, one they knew what would happen if Kitty spilled and knew how to deal with it, and two, Jean read Rogue's mind. They immediately ran down and grabbed Kitty.

"Let me go!" Kitty screamed. She kicked and screamed all she could. Rogue placed a hand over her mouth. They threw her into the Blackbird and Jean immediately took the pilot seat. Within a few seconds, they were out of the room and flying on their way to New Orleans.

Kitty sat co-pilot and Rogue sat behind her. Kitty glared at Rogue, who only just smiled and laughed.

"What's so funny Rogue?" Jean asked.

"Yeah," Kitty replied glumly, "Other than the fact that she like left the room and used the lights a lot, then like captured me and put me on this jet, I don't really see what's funny about this whole thing."

Rogue laughed even harder, "If ya wanted to stay home," she laughed more, "why didn't ya jus use your powers and slip from our grasp? Jean was holding you with her hands and not using her powers. You coulda jus slipped out from our arms."

"And not only that," Jean continued. She looked at Kitty for a quick moment and pulled off her pajamas. "But you're wearing your uniform!" Kitty was dressed in her uniform. She then pouted and turned away.

Rogue laughed even harder. She then told Kitty, "Ya sure like being captured don'tcha Kitty? You were even prepared!" Jean and Rogue both laughed.

Kitty sighed and faced forward. "Fine, but you have to tell me what is going on just in case the Professor asks. And why you like left in the first place, at this time! I don't want to like get our stories mixed up."

Rogue calmed down and told Kitty, "Ah'm pretty sure that what ah'm going to find here in New Orleans is gonna make me want to tell the Professor anyway." She sighed and looked out the jet window.


	3. Playing Cards and Women?

**Author's Note: Laceylou thanks for reviewing! I didn't think anyone would really read my story, but your review brought a smile to my face! Thanks for reviewing and reading!**

As the jet landed on the New Orleans landscape, Jean and Kitty surveyed the area from inside the Blackbird. The only lights around them came from the nearby city. However the city looked deserted. The only people out and about on the streets were just looking for trouble. But there was no sign of Gambit anywhere.

"Jean," Rogue asked, "Are you sure you saw him in city? Maybe he was back at his home or somewhere else?"

"Rogue," Jean responded, "Using Cerebro will not lead me to Gambit's exact location. The only thing I was able to see was that he was on city streets lit by lanterns. There were several restaurants and…"

"Wait," Rogue told her, "Ah think ah know where Gambit is! He's at the place where he took me when he captured me and took me to New Orleans!"

Jean nodded and walked out of the Blackbird. Rogue slowly walked out and Kitty followed behind. The whole time Kitty was angrily staring at her the whole time. She never left her eyes off of Rogue. She did not know what Kitty wanted, but she was not going to give it to her yet.

Suddenly Kitty grabbed Rogue and slowed her down. "You better tell me what is truly going on!"

"Why?" Rogue asked and then pulled herself from her grasp.

"Is this like a mission to find Gambit?" Kitty asked, "Or did you bring us here because you missed him?"

Rogue sighed and walked away, leaving Kitty alone to her own theories. But she wondered, "_Did ah come here for good reasons to make sure Remy wasn't getting himself stuff with thieving again, or for my own personal wrong reasons?_" Jean was okay with it being for her own personal reasons, but Kitty seemed convinced that it was to make sure Gambit was not hurt or in trouble.

They continued to walk into town, which was not as deserted as Rogue had thought. There were several men there and some scantily clothed women too. As the girls walked down the street, the men gazed at him lustfully. "Hey Jean," Rogue whispered, "How's bout you do a lil mind control on these men and get them to stop lookin' at us? Or at least stop lookin' at us in this way."

Jean sighed. "I'm a telepath. I don't control people with my mind." She looked back at the girls, "Besides, I'm sure we can take care of ourselves if matters come to that."

Rogue smiled. She remembered the time they had "separated" from the Xmen and made their own team. A team of all girls, to say. But she had a lot of fun and finally felt included with the group. Rogue finally felt like a part of the team, like they really needed her. Though their missions were pretty small, they still made a difference, and showed those arrogant guys that girls were just as good as they were.

They continued to walk down the street. As they neared the restaurant where Rogue and Gambit stayed at before, she had a horrible feeling in her stomach, as if someone punched her. She was not sure if it was because she feared she would see Remy there, dead or if she would see him there alive, or because of the time she spent time there with him brought back memories. And as they turned the corner and stood in front of the restaurant did her heart beat faster and faster. Jean stood at the door and knocked on it. As she continued to knock on it, she could hear her heartbeat in her ear, growing louder and louder by the minute. Her breathing became quicker and louder. And when Jean turned around to face them, everything in Rogue went silent as she waited for Jean to tell her if anyone was inside.

"No one is in there," Jean told Rogue, "I'm sorry."

A wave of relief washed over Rogue. But a feeling of disappointment filled inside of her. Remy had to be around here. He could not have gone very far. But she did not know where he was. And Jean was not exactly the greatest or most experienced telepath there was so finding Remy would be even more difficult. Rogue kicked the ground in anger and found a half burned card. She picked it up and looked it over. The edges were seared and burned but some part of it was still showing. It was the Queen of Hearts.

"_The Queen of Hearts, my lucky lady. This lady has gotten me out of trouble._"

Rogue had his memory, from touching Gambit. But she also remembered that he told her that on the train. And the only person that could do this to a card, or would even carry a card would be Gambit. Rogue gasped, "He's in trouble!" Gambit only used this card when he was in trouble. She was his last resort.

Jean looked down at the ground carefully. Kitty also searched the ground for any clues. When Rogue investigated the stones and the worn out road, she found black debris. She figured that this debris came from Remy's cards. She showed it to Jean and Kitty and they both agreed that it came from him. When Kitty searched for the black debris, she found a path. They followed the path down a few streets. As they turned the corner, Rogue pulled them back to watch.

"What was that for?" Kitty asked.

Rogue told her to hush and pointed in Gambit's direction. He was standing with a woman. She was beautiful and had long silky blonde hair. And the way Gambit was staring at her was something Rogue would not forget. The woman gave Gambit and big hug. And at that moment, Rogue did not want to watch it anymore. She started walking off.

"Wait," Jean told her, "You have to hear what they're saying. You don't know what is going on unless you hear their conversation. I'll read their minds for you and tell you what the conversation is."

* * *

"Remy," the lady replied, "I'm so glad to see you darling! And just in time for the wedding too!"

Gambit sighed and held her hands, "Listen Bella Donna, I…"

She squealed and gave him a big hug again. "I know you're speechless for words. You're a good man for doing this. Uniting the Assassin Guild and Thieves Guild will do great for my family, your family, and just everyone else who needs our services." She smirked. "Aren't you happy?"

Gambit sighed. "Jus peachy," he then fake smiled.

"Remy dear," she told him, looking him in the eyes and moving away his hair, "I love you." She then leaned in to kiss him.

* * *

"You're absolutely right Jean," Rogue angrily said as she walked away, "Ah had to hear that conversation!" She ran back to the Blackbird and wiped her tears as she did. Jean and Kitty immediately followed right after. "_Sure_," Rogue thought sarcastically, "_Remy was in so much trouble! The only trouble he was into was finally getting tied down._" And now Rogue acted as if she did not care if Gambit was getting married or not. But she did.

* * *

"Darlin," Gambit pulled away from her, "Listen, I jus don't like you. I'm here to see my brother. Dats why I came back. I left the first time to avoid our marriage. I jus don't love you the way you should be loved. An' I'm not a part of the Thieves Guild anymore. I quit."

"Is there some other _salope _or your _maîtresse _that is making you leave me?" Bella asked with a hint of anger in her voice.

_She was far from that._ He wanted to say, but instead retorted, "Non, my chère is _magnifique_."

"Well aren't they all?" She scoffed, "You never called me chère. You must really love her, especially to betray your father and brother," Bella replied jealously. Gambit nodded. "Well" she said as she walked away, "then she must be deeply in love with you."

And as Gambit watched her go, he looked up to the sky and hoped that Rogue did.


	4. Moving On

Jean slowly maneuvered the Blackbird into the room. Once it screeched to a halt, she turned off the engine and took a big yawn. Kitty was dead asleep in the copilot seat. Rogue was also asleep in her seat. Jean knew that she had been crying herself to sleep. Occasionally she would turn and see Rogue pretending to go to sleep, but what Jean saw that no one else did, was the tears falling down her face. She felt bad for Rogue, but she had to see it. Otherwise, it would be even worse for her. Jean looked at the clock. It read 4:00 A.M. She took the key of the Blackbird and stuck it in her pocket. Jean fell back into the seat and yawned. She knew she should be getting back to bed, and getting Rogue and Kitty back too. But it would be impossible to get into get those two up. "I'll just fall asleep in here but I'll get up around six to sneak in with Kitty and Rogue," Jean said to herself and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Gambit took a good look at the huge clock in the center of the town. It read 4:30 A.M. or sometime near that. He couldn't really see clearly. Then again this whole night, he hadn't been able to see clearly. After he met up with Bella Donna everything just went crazy from there. He stole again, except this time from his own father. He went back to fighting other people earlier and after he met up with Bella Donna. Everything that he and the Professor and Rogue had been trying to work on for him to stop just came back like an old memory or an addiction to a person that had at once a clean slate.

He looked up at the sky and sighed. It was getting lighter out. And even though he loved the South, he didn't want to stay here anymore. Truth be told, his heart wasn't here. And what was a womanizing man without a heart? But was he still the same womanizing man, or was he something better? Someone who actually lost his heart to someone else and just couldn't get it back that easily? Remy shook his head. Who was he trying to charm, himself?

He ran out into the farther parts of Louisiana. Remy did not want to stay here. He looked up at the sky and saw a plane fly above. In his pocket he found a few wallets and bundles of cash. "I guess I could fly first class," he said and smiled.

* * *

Rogue groaned as stretched and woke up. She wouldn't open her eyes yet. She wanted to let her eyes accustom to the bright light that was already shining on her eyes. Rogue sighed, with her eyes still closed and plopped herself back on the bed. THUD. Her head hit something hard. She immediately opened her eyes and found that she had hit Jean's head. "Well you always were hard headed," she silently laughed to herself. As she stared ahead, she found herself looking at two long windows which were wide open and shining bright sunshine into the room. It was almost too bright to see where she was, but once she gained full sight, Rogue realized where she was. She was in the Professor's room. Rogue gulped nervously and as she looked around, she found who was also in the room, a very calm but angry Professor, an angry and fierce looking Wolverine, and a disappointed looking Storm. Rogue looked around and saw that her teammates from her mission last night were sleeping next to her. Immediately she woke them up. Rogue did not want to face her leaders alone.

The first to wake up was Kitty. She groaned. "Rogue, what did I say about waking me up like this early?" She moaned. "My head hurts so much."

"Well good for you," Wolverine growled. Immediately Kitty opened her eyes and sat back scared of her outcome, "serves you right for leaving without telling anyone." He muttered.

Then Jean woke up. She sat up and rubbed her head. Apparently it hurt her. Rogue silently chuckled. She hadn't meant to hurt her, but it happened. Jean rubbed her eyes and was shocked at what she saw. She looked to Rogue, who just shrugged. "_Are we in trouble?_" she asked Rogue in her mind.

Rogue sighed. "_Ah don't know! You're the telepath!_" she replied sarcastically, "_Jus look at their faces. We obviously are!_"

Wolverine looked at Jean face to face and directly in her eyes. He scoffed. "I never expected this from you Red."

"Girls," the Professor rolled his wheelchair from the side to right in front of them. "Will you please explain to me why you decided to leave early Monday morning to go to New Orleans and without telling Logan, Storm, or me? Was it upon desire, or upon impulse, or mission worthy?"

Rogue moved uncomfortably in her seat. It wasn't Kitty's fault because she was just captured and happened to find out. It was partly Jean's fault because she forced Rogue into doing this. But Jean was doing Rogue a favor. She knew it was her fault too because she decided to go in and go with the plan. She sighed. "Professor, it was my fault." Both girls looked to Rogue in shocked. "I wanted to find Gambit. I wanted to know if he was out thieving again, so I…"

"She was sad, so I went and talked to her," Jean replied interrupting her, "I found out she was missing Gambit so I told her I would use Cerebro to find him. I had to do it when no one was awake or around because I knew none of you would approve of this mission. Once I located him in New Orleans, Rogue and I took the Blackbird to go see him."

"And nothing happened," Kitty finished, "We just made sure Gambit wasn't in trouble. He was fine and we didn't even like cross paths. Gambit didn't even know we were there."

"And why were you a part of this mission Kitty?" Storm asked, finally turning away from the window and looking at her.

"Well I like heard about the plan and saw Rogue leaving the room, so I followed to make sure they wouldn't get into any trouble or do something stupid." Kitty smiled innocently as if she hoped they would believe it.

The Professor nodded. "Okay, all of you can leave except for you Rogue."

Rogue gasped in shock. She turned to Jean and Kitty for help and all they could do was shrug. Why did they want _just _her? They already heard the story. It was true. The professor had to know what happened; after all he was a telepath. All he had to do was search their memories. Rogue watched Wolverine growled. He stared at the other girls as if he wanted them to be punished and not walking free. But leave it to the Professor to know what Logan was thinking.

"And girls," the Professor told them before they walked out the door, "Jean, you are not allowed to use Cerebro for a month, and sessions with you and Cerebro will be terminated until your term is fully served." Jean sighed disappointedly and nodded saying she understood. "Kitty," the Professor continued, "you will have to go to many more danger room training sessions than you would have had to. This also includes you Jean. And all three of you girls cannot leave this house for two weeks, unless it is for a mission. Even then, I will decide if you can even go on the mission or not. May I remind you, I know if you can sneak in or not? Just ask Bobby." All three girls nodded and looked down. "You may now go," the Professor told them. Jean and Kitty walked out the door and slowly closed it.

He then turned to Rogue. For some reason, his face changed from quiet anger into sympathy. "Are you okay Rogue?" he asked her.

Rogue looked at him questionably, "Yeah ah'm fine. Why wouldn't ah be?"

And at that moment, Logan and Storm moved in closer. Logan sat on Rogue's left side and Storm sat on the other side and placed a comforting hand on her. It made Rogue a little nervous. She didn't know why they were being so concerned when it was she that broke a rule. Even though it was a big rule, it was nothing that couldn't be reprimanded. She wasn't a troubled teenager anymore, but a grown "Southern Belle" as Gambit described her.

"How do you feel about Gambit?" the Professor asked.

Though Rogue tried to show no emotion, she instead found herself blushing at even the mere mention of his name. And even though she was blushing, she felt slight anger towards him, as if she wanted to punch Remy in the stomach to let him know how she was feeling last night and right now. But of course he was nowhere in sight.

Storm and the Professor smiled when they saw Rogue's reaction towards Gambit. She asked, "You certainly have grown a lot closer to Gambit over the course that he's been here, haven't you Rogue?"

Rogue wouldn't deny it, "Yeah, ah guess ah have."

"So then what's the real reason you went to go see Gambit kid?" Logan asked her.

"It's still the same reason ah told y'all earlier!" Rogue angrily answered them, "ah wasn't lying to y'all. Ah went to go see if he was thieving again an' he wasn't." But the way Logan was staring at her was in disbelief, "Trust me! Ah ain't lying to y'all!"

"And what did you find Rogue?" The professor asked. Finally he was getting to the bottom of it just as Rogue knew. Though her motives were good, what she found was not what she was prepared for.

"Ah found him," she faltered, "Ah found him kissin some other woman. Her…her name was Bella Donna." She then pouted and looked away from everyone.

"Bella Donna," the professor told her, "is his fiancée. His marriage to her would reunite the long time sparring Thieves Guild and Assassin Guild. He left the first time because he did not want to be married to her. It was something he had not wanted to do, but he had no control over it since it was planned since he was little. He also left the Thieves Guild when Magneto asked for his help and because he was the highest bidder on his services. However based on what you said Gambit came back because…"

"Listen Professor," Rogue said and stood up, "Ah really don't want to hear the rest of this story. Ah hope you understand. It's just not something ah can hear right now. Ah really appreciate all that you're doin for me though. But right now ah jus can't take it." She walked towards the door and turned back to her three friends, "Thank you, all of y'all. Ah needed a lil comforting." She fake smiled and walked out the door. Rogue slowly locked the door and looked down to the ground.

She really did not want to hear that especially if it was going to cause her any trouble. When she looked up and started walking, she found herself looking at Jean and Kitty. She sighed. "What is it girls?" she crossed her arms in exasperation.

They giggled and carried her into her room. Kitty took a few shortcuts and phased through different rooms. Once they reached the room, Rogue sat on the bed and looked away. She was not going to talk about her feelings to these girls. "So?" Jean asked with a smile on her face.

"Ah don't know why you girls want to know about me so much," Rogue glumly told them, "Jean you have the perfect boyfriend. Scott is so kind to you. He's the perfect gentleman and he would do anything for you." Rogue turned to Kitty, "Though Avalanche isn't always the good guy, he loves you and that's what matters. He tries and changes himself so he can please you. He's also 'nother perfect boyfriend."

"Is that all you want Rogue?" Jean asked. "A perfect boyfriend? Is that the only thing that will satisfy _you_?"

"Well, when you can't have anyone touch you, all you want is someone to love you!" Rogue angrily answered her.

"Having a _perfect_ boyfriend isn't everything," Kitty told her.

Rogue scoffed, "Yeah tell that to a hormone raging teenager."

Jean thought for a moment and then looked at Rogue and smirked. Kitty looked at her curiously and wondered what she was thinking. "Rogue," Jean told her, "I bet I can find you a guy who is a goody-two-shoe like Scott, but still loves you just the same."

Rogue looked to her curiously and asked, "Who?"

* * *

"Ah look stupid!" Rogue yelled at Jean and Kitty. They had been in her room this whole time doing her make-up and chose what clothes she should wear. "Ah don't understand why you girls have to dress up and look all pretty jus for some stupid guy who ah'd like to mention, isn't even here! We ain't gonna find a guy for me in here! Well a guy who isn't a creep anyway. They ain't worth dressing up this nice! And not to mention puttin in all this effort!"

"You haven't even seen your face yet!" Jean told her, "Trust me on this." She had a feeling a certain mutant would be coming in soon to join them and he would take a liking to Rogue.

"Ooh!" Kitty exclaimed when Jean told her the plan and when she saw the way Rogue looked. "You know if someone like you is going to look this sexy, then you need to have a catchphrase when a guy comes along!"

Rogue groaned. "Like what?"

"Hmm," Jean and Kitty were both thinking. Suddenly Kitty had an idea, "I got it! What about sugah?" She winked at Rogue and imitated her. Kitty started strutting and talking with a Southern accent, "Well hello there sugah, you interested in a Southern Belle like me?" She then winked at her pretend guy. She squealed in excitement, "It's perfect for you Rogue! You're a Southern Belle and absolutely sexy! After all Southern gentlemen prefer…"

Rogue corrected her, "Ah believe the phrase is 'Gentlemen prefer blondes', not 'Southern Gentlemen' Kitty. Besides, ah'm afraid at how I turned out thanks to y'all two. Ah don't want to be seen by anyone!"

"C'mon Rogue," Jean reassured Rogue as they ushered her out the door, "That wouldn't be fair to Kitty and me who did all this hard work, now would it?"

The two girls took her to the living room where all the other Mutants were. A few of them whistled, which included Berzerker, Bobby, and even Wolverine, who looked up from his newspaper. Rogue blushed not knowing how to react. Even though she hadn't seen how she looked, she couldn't help but feel stupid-looking. All she could see was what she was wearing. Rogue was wearing tight black pants and a white top. To cover her skin on her arms, she wore a bright red jacket. Though she hadn't seen herself yet, she knew her hair was all down and loose.

"Okay Rogue," Jean took her to Scott and smiled. "You are going to practice your sexy Southern Belle self with Scott." Jean turned to Scott. "Scott you're going to be the guy Rogue is smitten with. You have to be won over by her charm."

Scott smiled, "You look amazing Rogue."

Rogue sighed. She liked Scott before and had tried to get over him. Over time she finally did. But now, trying to win him over was bringing that all back again and she didn't want that to happen. "Listen Jean, ah can't do this. Ah don't want to do this!" she turned to Scott, "Sorry Scott," she sighed and looked to Jean and Kitty. From her right side, she saw a mirror. And she had to admit, she didn't look as bad as she thought. It looked as if she was wearing rarely any make-up, instead of the mess her mind had concocted of the job Kitty and Jean did. She should have trusted them because after all Jean and Kitty were both very pretty.

Yet it wasn't her, so she told Kitty and Jean, "If the guy doesn't like me for me, then he ain't worth it."

But before she could take off her make-up the professor walked in with a guy, a new mutant. Rogue looked him over. He had slick black hair and was tall. This guy had a beautiful smile and two dark mysterious eyes. Soon Rogue realized, he was smiling at her. And as he walked over to her, the heartbeat in her ear made her almost tone out the words the Professor was speaking.

"This young man's name is James," the Professor told everyone, "He has come to us after living for a long time in the busy city of New York."

Wolverine walked up to the Professor, "What are his powers Chuck?"

"Oddly," the Professor told him, "I am unable to find out. With this young man, I haven't been able to find out any information from him. This has never happened to me before. Luckily this man is on our side. I fear that he is very powerful, yet in good control of his power."

James walked up to Rogue and smiled at her. Rogue fought to not lose her cool, unlike the girls next to her, Jean and Kitty who kept squealing with joy. She just stood there smiling mysteriously back at him. He had a certain charm in his eyes. He looked her in the eyes and softly told her, "Hello there," he said in a strong New York accent, "My name is James. And who are you my dear?"

Rogue smiled and decided to use her Southern Belle on him. She smiled at him, "Ah go by Rogue."

James was clearly interested, and Rogue could mostly tell by Jean's constant screams of joy in her head. He smiled back at her and replied coolly, "Rogue eh?" James grabbed Rogue's hand and kissed it gently.

Rogue smiled, "Guess ah'll be seein you later," and then turned away to walk away.

From behind she could hear Jean and Kitty's conversation, "Leaving him hanging? Brilliant!" "She certainly has him under her spell!"

James told her as she walked away, "I am pleased to meet you. And I was wondering if you could possibly tour me around this mansion? And show me some Southern hospitality?"

Rogue laughed and walked back to him. It was corny but it was cute. James grabbed her hands and smiled. "Fine," she told him, "Ah'll show you the house now. How'd you like that sugah?"

James grinned. "I'd like that lot."


	5. Surprises

**Author's Note: Thanks to my reviewers: Courtney Summers (I love your sn!) and Fosterb and Laceylou!**

"_Is he always acting like that?_" _he pointed to a jumpy Cannonball who was messing up the room and causing chaos for Bobby as well._

_Rogue laughed. "Most of tha time he is. But you'll get used to it. We all did."_

* * *

"_Wow." He looked at Jean. She was combing her hair for probably the millionth time and looking at herself in the mirror and smiling. Rogue sighed. All the boys were interested in Jean. "Is she this egotistical? She really cares about her appearance."_

_Rogue couldn't help but laugh. "Well, yeah. Ah found out she likes her hair a lot. She wouldn't let me in the bathroom one time 'cause of it. Ah swear she spent like an hour combin that thing."_

_James scoffed and continued to walk on. "I bet she already has a boyfriend anyway. But that doesn't matter to me, I've seen a more beautiful girl than her."_

* * *

Rogue sighed as she closed her door. She had been touring James around the mansion for three hours. It honestly would not have taken that long, but some things got in the way and Rogue found herself having some fun. Dinner would be ready anytime soon, but honestly, all she wanted to do was lie down in bed and go to sleep. She was tired.

Kitty greeted her cheerfully at the door, "So how did it like go?" She smiled. Rogue sighed. She never understood how Kitty could be so cheerful and happy all the time, even when she only got four hours of sleep, and that included Jean. The girl was always happy or if not serious and "wise". Jean always tried to act like the motherly figure for all of them. So it was natural that she got along with the other fatherly figure, Scott. Rogue silently laughed to herself when she thought about Jean and Logan getting together.

Rogue tiredly plopped herself on the bed, "It was fine," she blandly told her, "Ah'm jus real tired is all."

_It is time for dinner. Everyone meet in the mess hall. Rogue, I need you to go into the kitchen please. _The Professor's voice filled their heads.

Kitty squealed with joy. "C'mon! I'll choose some clothes for you to wear!" She poked through her closet and picked out a small hot pink dress. "How about this one?"

Rogue pretended to gag herself and looked away, "Kitty do you even see that hideous thing?"

Kitty looked in the mirror at the dress, "Well I suppose it is a little too much…"

"A little?" Rogue scoffed, "That is a living nightmare! An' you know how ah am with pink!" She sighed, "What's wrong with what ah'm wearing now? You dressed me this way! Besides, ah ain't so hungry anyway. Once ah go to the kitchen and meet up with the Professor, ah am going back to bed."

Kitty pouted. "One, you like stunned James with your amazing outfit earlier! Why not dazzle him with another outfit? Two, you can never wear an outfit twice, especially when trying to impress a guy!"

Rogue scowled. "Okay, lemme set things straight miz Kitty. One, ah ain't interested in dazzling James. Ah will dazzle him in mah own way an' not try an' put too much effort inta this. Two, like ah said before, if he didn't like me before, then ah don't care in pursuin him any further. If doesn't like me for me, then ah don't care."

Kitty pouted, "Why do you have to be such a party pooper?" She sighed and grabbed Rogue off of the bed. Together they walked to the dining room. "So…" Kitty started, "Do you like James?"

Rogue didn't know how to answer. She only knew the guy for three hours. But he was the perfect gentleman. He was certainly handsome and had a beautiful smile. James made her laugh and he made her smile. He was very smart and well educated. "Ah," she finally responded to Kitty who was waiting eagerly, "well James is the perfect gentleman."

Kitty squealed with joy. Leave it to her roommate to be excited over the guy she liked. "You like him!" she shouted and jumped. "You like him! You like him! Rogue likes a guy! Rogue likes a guy!" she teased and giggled. And when they walked into the into the dining room, Jean also teased Rogue, "_We could hear Kitty down the hall_." She said in her mind.

Rogue sighed and looked for her seat at the table. There weren't any seats left for her. She looked to the kitchen door and found Nightcrawler and Bobby standing there at the door dressed in all black and holding it open for her. "For you madam," they both said courteously, and ushered her in. For once Rogue wished that she had listened to Kitty and dressed a little nicer since she felt she was at a nice restaurant. When she entered into the kitchen, she found a small table set up with two plates. There were small candles all around. She looked to the stove and found James standing there with a wooden spoon and a hot pan. When he turned around he smiled at her and then slowly poured the sauce over the two dishes he had cooked. He then placed it on the table and smiled. "Your dinner awaits," he bowed and gestured towards her seat.

Rogue blushed and walked towards her chair. James opened up for seat for her to sit on. Once she was comfortably in the seat, he pushed her in so she could reach the table comfortably. He then sat in the seat in front of her and smiled. "I hope you enjoy your dinner Rogue." She smiled. "It's Cordon de Bleu. I took a couple of culinary classes in high school. I was the best in my class."

Rogue took a bite in and actually enjoyed the food. It was delicious. "This is amazin!" she told him. James smiled back, "I'm glad you enjoy it."

The whole dinner they talked and laughed occasionally. And Rogue found herself having fun. James even brought his chair closer so he could be closer to Rogue. They then sat barely even an arm length away.

"So what are your powers?" James asked, "I heard you're the quick killer."

Rogue choked on her water. "'Cuse me?"

"You know," James let her in on what he meant, "With one touch, you can take away a person's powers and even kill a person?"

"Yea," Rogue looked away, "Ah don't really want to talk about it though."

"I'm sorry," James told her and grabbed her hand, "I did not mean to offend you or cause you any anger. I merely meant to get to know you better."

Rogue smiled, "It's okay James. Ah'm fine. You didn't offend me at all."

"I really do care about you Rogue," James told her. He then leaned in and did something that surprised Rogue. He kissed her fully on the lips.

And at that moment, Gambit stepped into the kitchen and growled. "Rogue?" he asked in shock.

Rogue immediately broke apart from James and looked at Gambit. She didn't know how to respond.


	6. Playing A Love Game

**Author's Note: Special thanks to Mara Jade Snape and Creativiti **

**French translation: Roi de Coeurs is King of Hearts**

**Non is no**

**Femme is female**

**Oui is yes**

* * *

"_Remy? What are you doing here?_" Rogue asked as she broke free from James' kiss.

Gambit quietly snarled at the memory as he sat in the living room. That night did not go as he had planned. Gambit wished that as soon as Rogue saw him, she would run into his arms and give him a great big welcome. But instead he found her kissing James and instead of feeling shock or sadness, he received a cold shoulder and the feeling of rage, anger, and mistrust from her. He wanted to ask, 'what were ya doing kissing James?' And how that boy didn't feel any of Rogue's powers was another mystery. He didn't faint or get a headache, lose his powers, or anything. Gambit kept all these thoughts to himself as he played with the cards in his hands, shuffling them, yet always coming face to face with the Queen of Hearts.

Gambit relaxed on the couch, sprawled out with his feet on the couch, and his back to the armrest. He sat alone in this room, while everyone else was outside playing or just doing something else. But though Gambit was alone, he liked it. He liked being alone in the room without any distractions or any problems or anyone to ask him what was on his mind. Gambit liked keeping these problems to himself, but he knew that it was hard to do so. What he loved about Rogue was that he could tell her anything and she would understand. Maybe it was because they were both Southern and loved the food, or because they both felt like loners before, perhaps because their parents hadn't exactly been the best, or just the feeling of love brought them together. Gambit believed he would easily admit he was in love with Rogue, and showed it in the way he always spent time with her. But then again, he didn't exactly tell her he loved her, it just wasn't in his character, or actually it just wasn't easy for him. It wasn't so hard when he did this with other girls, but why not with Rogue? Also, why did he like Rogue so much? She was pretty and had her own Southern charm. Or was it because unlike the other girls who were so easily charmed by him, Rogue took work and determination?

"Excuse me," Jamie interrupted his thoughts, "Mr. LeBeau?"

Gambit sighed and sat up. "Yes Jamie? What do ya want?"

"How do you get girls to fall in love you?" Jamie asked nervously. He was the youngest and the most naïve.

Gambit's eyes flashed and broke into a smile. He patted the seat in front of him, gesturing for Jamie to sit down. "So ya wanna know bout girls, eh?" Jamie nodded eagerly. "Well who's de girl? De first thing ya gotta know is who de girl is. Cuz girls all have a different view on romance."

"Amen to that," Scott said as he walked in with Kurt. They both sat down on the couch next to Gambit. He snarled. Gambit wasn't a big fan of Scott, but he was their leader. Scott decided to go to a college nearby so he could be at the Institute every afternoon and every night, meaning more training sessions. Gambit knew why Rogue hated those sessions so much. He saw one and Scott was the fearless, brave, but controlling leader. But the one reason why he didn't really like Scott was because he was everything he wasn't: perfect, nice, squeaky clean, a good leader, and what Rogue wanted. "What are you teaching Jamie?" Scott and Kurt asked.

But before Gambit could respond, Jamie told them, "He's teaching me how get girls!" Gambit smirked a little. Kurt started to laugh, but Gambit could see, even through Scott's glasses that he wasn't happy.

"Why didn't you ask me?" Scott asked.

Gambit sighed. So Mr. Perfect was jealous. That was his deal. Just because he was their leader, doesn't mean that he was the greatest and everyone had to go to him for help. "Look," Gambit told Scott, "let's jus say, you ain't de greatest at everythin. An' by de dat I mean, you're too shy. After all how long did it take you get Jean in ya arms Scooter?" He grinned and then shuffled the cards in his hands.

Jamie burst out laughing and Kurt snickered into his hands. But he couldn't contain it for long and then started laughing louder. Gambit chuckled a little and looked at the angry Scott, who seemed he was about to shoot red beams into his eyes. Gambit just shrugged it off and turned back to Jamie. "So who is dis girl dats got ya comin to me all weak?"

Jamie quieted down and turned to Scott, "Sorry Scott, but he's got a point," he then turned back to Gambit, "Her name is Kitty. She's beautiful, funny, kind, and wonderful." Jamie sighed dreamily.

Gambit chuckled. "An' older woman? Well dos are de hardest. But no worries. All you gotta do is show her dat you act older than your age."

"How do I do that?" Jamie asked.

Gambit sighed. "Boy, recite some Shakespeare. Make her ya own poem. Discuss high school stuff, like de book she's currently reading an' tell her ya opinion on it. Jus act older and more mature." He then turned to Scott and Kurt. "Anythin else boys?"

"Nope," Kurt replied. "You pretty much hit it right on the mark. I got Amanda 'cause she was interested in me, mutant and non-mutant. I was pretty smart in my math class and she liked that."

Scott nodded. "Yup, Gambit's pretty much got it down. Just act mature. Kitty likes that. She sometimes had problems with Avalanche because he wasn't always acting mature."

Jamie smiled. "Thanks Gambit! But I have one question for you, if you're so great with girls then why don't you have a girlfriend?"

Scott and Kurt chuckled silently. But Gambit silenced their laughter with one bold statement, "Dats 'cause I haven't found de right girl yet."

"Or every girl has just about rejected him," Scott retorted.

"Dats a bold statement der Scooter. Hows bout we wager a lil bet non? If I can't get de next femme that walks into dis room to fall in love with me, den ya win. But if I do, den I win." Gambit smirked and played with the cards in his hands.

"What happens if you win?" Scott asked.

"Ya gotta refer to me as master or king or roi de coeurs and admit to everyone dat comes to you for love advice dat you ain't de one to come to, it's Gambit dey should be talking to."

"And if I win?"

"Den vice versa. I'll refer to ya as master or King, bow down an' everythin when ya come into de room. Jus as you will. An I'll give ya my King of Hearts card," Gambit drew it out of his deck, "An write on it dat you are de Roi de Coeurs or King of Hearts. An' next time dat Jamie or any boy comes to me for help, I'll redirect dem to ya, for help."

Scott nodded. He then extended his hand to Gambit, which he took and shook. "Deal." They both then sat down on the couch to see who would come in first. And soon Jean walked in. Gambit got up and smirked back at Scott. Scott whispered to Kurt and Jamie, "Jean is a mind reader. This should end quickly."

And Gambit knew exactly what Scott was thinking, so he decided to not think about the bet but actually on Jean instead, so Jean wouldn't get the idea it was a bet. Gambit stepped in front of her and bowed slightly. "Good afternoon mademoiselle," he reached for her hand and kissed it gently. Jean blushed slightly. He then looked at her face and smiled. Jean smiled back. "Did you get a haircut Jean? It looks very magnifique, especially on you, oui?" He turned to the boys and showed Jean off like a model, while she blushed again.

"Why I'm so glad you noticed Gambit," she smiled and then glared at Scott.

Gambit silently snickered. This was going to be easy. All he had to do was mention anything about her looks or something Scott didn't do, because apparently Scott rarely paid attention to her looks. "How can I not notice? It brings out your features more and your lovely face."

Jean smiled. "You are quite the charmer Gambit," she kissed him on the cheek and started to walk off. "I would date you if I wasn't already taken." She then gestured to Scott, who glumly got off the couch.

He angrily whispered to Gambit, "This isn't over!"

"Scott!" Jean yelled angrily at him.

Gambit laughed. "I think it is, Scooter! Bow down before you leave de room!" And Scott did as he said and then ran to chase after Jean. He walked over to Kurt and Jamie who hi-fived him. And from the direction in which Jean came in, Rogue emerged from the shadows.

"How pathetic," she told Gambit, "Making girls fall in love with you as a game. You're sick, ya know that?"

"Oh come on chére," Gambit stood up trying to explain himself, "It was all in fun. Scott challenged me."

"Ah'm sure he did," Rogue said with her arms crossed, "As if kissing girls wasn't enough for ya, ya have tah go out an' make 'em fall in love with ya." She then scoffed and walked off.

"Rogue wait!" He yelled as he ran after her.

Kurt and Jamie looked at each other. "Looks like he can't make every girl fall in love with him."

"Yeah," Kurt replied, "I guess every King has his own weakness."


	7. Rogue Awakening

**Special thanks to:**

**Fosterb - I agree with you, but that's just how Rogue is. She likes to keep things to herself. And honestly, even before your review, I was going to have them confront each other.**

* * *

"Rogue wait!" Gambit finally caught her hand, but her glove slipped off. He tried to reach for her hand but she quickly pulled it away and she looked at him in horror.

"Are ya outta ya mind?" she asked in horror, "if you touch me, then ah could hurt you."

"_Too late for dat,_" he muttered too quiet for her to hear.

"What was that?" Rogue angrily asked.

"Why are you mad at me?" Gambit asked, "Why have you been avoiding me chére? I'm gone for a few days and you're being hostile towards me. Did something happen between you and Scooter?"

"You know ah don't like him," she angrily replied. Rogue scoffed. "Besides, why do you care?"

"Because chére, I care about ya. And if I did something wrong to ya, let Remy know so he can fix it." Gambit answered.

Rogue sighed. "Why did you leave? Where did you go?"

Gambit scoffed. "Who are ya, my mom?"

"No," Rogue retorted, "Ah'm your friend. Did you go tah New Orleans tah steal?"

"What?" Gambit was shocked, "No, I…" He stopped for a moment. She was serious. He looked deep into Rogue's eyes and knew she meant what he said. "First of all, how did you know I was in New Orleans?"

"Well ah," Rogue stuttered, "Ah had a feeling."

"Ahuh," Gambit glared at her, "Did you follow me there?" He waited for her to say something. But Rogue just looked down and away from him. "You did follow me der. Why? What were you thinking?"

"Ah don't know!" Rogue answered him, "Ah went there 'cause Jean dragged me there. She read mah mind and knew ah was wonderin where ya were."

"And what did ya see Rogue, 'cause I know ya didn't see me steal or go back to thieving," he asked her.

"Ah saw nothing," Rogue muttered. And Gambit smiled. "Why didn't you tell me you were married?" Rogue growled.

Gambit suspiciously eyed her, "Rogue, I…"

"Ah saw you kissing some lady named Bella Donna! Why didn't you tell me you were married? Ah thought we were friends!"

"How did you find her? Dat must have been at least at three in de mornin," Gambit shook his head, "What were ya doin up at dat time and on a Sunday night?"

"Ah thought you an' ah always shared our secrets with each other. 'Cause we were friends. Why didn't you tell me about her?"

"Don't tell me ya getting mad at me for kissin a girl. Ya knew I was always charmin girls. Why does it matter now? Something tells me that ya aren't angry for me jus bein married but for kissin her or something else." Gambit said with a smirk.

"Remy ah…" Rogue started to say, but then stopped when James walked in. "Hey James," she greeted him warmly.

Gambit saw this and scowled. He looked from Rogue to James and back and forth. There was a certain light in Rogue's eyes whenever he was around. "Listen junior," Gambit turned to James, "Rogue and I are tryin to solve something right now, so if ya don't mind, can ya leave us alone for a moment?"

"Speak for yourself Swamp Rat," Rogue angrily replied, "We have nothin else tah discuss. Ah don't want tah talk tah you for a while. Jus leave me alone." She slipped her glove on and walked away.

"Rogue," Gambit started to chase after her, but James pushed him back. Gambit looked at him with fierce red eyes and snarled.

"The lady says to leave her alone, so respect that and leave her alone." James told him and then ran to catch up with Rogue. Rogue sighed when he reached her. "Are you okay Rogue?" She nodded quietly and continued to walk. "Okay," he told her, "I'm just making sure. I'll leave you alone now."

"No," she reached out and put her hand gently on his shoulder, "Let's walk and talk for a while. Ah've got some questions for ya." She smiled and he returned the smile.

"Okay," he replied, "As long as I get to ask questions too."

Rogue smiled. "Fair enough." She then looked away and asked the first question. "Did you get a headache last night?"

"No, why?" James asked curiously. "Your kiss was good but not enough to make me dizzy."

Rogue smirked. "That's not the point. Ya know the phrase curiosity killed the cat? Well you knew ah had the power to take away a person's powers and memories. Mah touch is so deadly and yet you seemed so unaffected by it. How is that possible?"

"Well I haven't told you this yet or anyone else but I am like a shield," he told her as he walked. "I can block out any attack, physically or mentally. I discovered this when I was boxing. You see, back at my old school, I loved to box. And they always called me the Dodger because I would always dodge my opponent's punches or kicks. Maybe I had fast reflexes or something. But one day, I had to face this quicker opponent. He was so quick, that he could KO you in the first round. And he was quick. And he did KO me in the first round, but the weirdest part was that, even though he hit me hard in the side of my head, which is usually the most sensitive part, I didn't feel a thing. I was knocked down to the ground, but I wasn't dizzy and I didn't have a concussion. It was then that I realized I was a mutant."

"Wow," was all Rogue could say, "Have you spoken tah the Professor yet?"

"Yes," James responded, "I did. And he was relieved to finally know my gifts. It seems my powers could come to use. And he said that with time, I could come to more powerful things and be able to do more things with my shield."

"Like what?" Rogue asked.

"I'm not sure yet. I guess we'll find out in time," he told her, "but one more question, if you're up for it?"

Rogue nodded, saying gesturing that she was ready.

"What is your real name?" he asked her right outside her room door.

Rogue smiled, "It's Anna." She reached for the door handle and opened it, "Ya know, you're one of tah only people tah ask me that." She smiled and walked into her room. Rogue shut the door, and sighed. "You and Remy, for that matter." She slumped to the floor against the door.

Kitty immediately stopped her folding and looked over at Rogue. She was at her bed and started to walk towards the door. Kitty had the most peculiar look on her face. "Rogue is something the matter? You're not smiling. You just like spent some time with James. What's wrong?"

Rogue sighed. But before she could answer, someone knocked at the door. She immediately got up and opened the door. The two girls found an extremely jubilant Jean eagerly waiting to scream out what she was about to say. "Isn't James perfect?" She asked over-excitedly.

"Well…" Rogue started to say.

"I mean he's handsome, and clean, and gentleman-like. He's completely into you! He cooked you a wonderful, delicious dinner the day he met you. He was completely awestruck when he met you. You guys seem to have hit it off! I mean he's just absolutely perfect!" She giggled and squealed.

Rogue groaned. "Then why don't you date him?" She angrily asked and shut the door, leaving Jean shocked and hanging. She then screamed and plopped herself down on her bed, bringing her blanket and pillows over her.

"Rogue what is the matter?" Kitty asked, as she walked over to Rogue's bed. She then sat down on it and phased through her blanket, bringing Rogue out of it. "If you don't talk then I'm like not leaving!"

"Don't worry," Rogue muttered, "Ah'll be talking to you. Ah need someone to talk to."

"Oh," Kitty replied surprised, "I usually have to like fight with you to know what is the matter." She smiled a little, "Besides you're whole dark side, angry, secret side was so hormone teenage years! That was like in high school with dances and all that when people couldn't touch you! You're like an adult now!"

"And you're like twenty!" Rogue imitated her, "Aren't you beyond the whole 'like' phase?"

Kitty glared at her, "Are you gonna like tell me or not?"

"Fine fine," Rogue calmed her down, "Let's jus say ah ain't so sure bout what is goin on inside this head of mine. Ah mean James is perfect and kind and everythin, but…" she faltered.

"What about Gambit?" Kitty asked, finishing her sentence.

"Yeah," Rogue immediately looked up at her, "What about him?"

"Well if you like ask me, I'd totally like pick Gambit over James!" Kitty bluntly told Rogue her choice.

"Why?" Rogue asked.

"Seriously? You're gonna like ask me why?" Kitty looked at her in shock, but Rogue didn't seem to be joking around, "Just think about it Rogue! You and Gambit have had a history! I mean, I remember the time, he gave you that exploding King of Hearts. You told me about it and you were just so amazed by it, and his eyes. Even though you didn't say much, I could tell you were amazed by him. And when he came to our school, I saw the way you were playing it cool around him. Then, that time he captured you and took you to New Orleans. You just weren't the same after that. You were happier and smiling more. You even talked about him a lot. And it was right then and there that I knew you were over Scott and completely into him!" Kitty then smirked. She reached near Rogue's book and phased through to get something. "Besides," she threw the Queen of Hearts at Rogue's face. She immediately jumped for it and held it like it was a treasure, "you still kept his Queen of Hearts."

"So?" Rogue asked, as if it meant nothing.

"So?" Kitty asked in exasperation, "So? Does that not mean anything to you? Besides I heard what he told you before you two departed, from Logan. He really cares about you Rogue! And just think of the times you spent here at the mansion."

Rogue smiled. "_Yeah at the mansion,_" she thought and then went into her reverie.


	8. Memories

**Author's Note: The parts that are italicized are Rogue's or Gambit's thoughts or flashbacks. **

_After Apocalypse everything changed for Rogue…_

_She lay on bed, dizzy from the battle last night, dizzy from that power absorption, too dizzy to remember everything. But all she could clearly recall was that at the end, she lay in someone's strong arms, carrying her home and into bed. _

_Rogue opened her eyes and faintly saw someone standing by her bed. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes. There was a man standing by her bed. Was it Scott? No way, he was probably too pre-occupied with Jean. Was it Logan? Maybe, but it was certainly a little early for him to be up. Was it the Professor? Maybe, but if Rogue woke up, then he would know. She knew it had to be Beast because he was always tending to her, but what she found by her bedside was not something she expected._

"_Good morning chére," Gambit gently said to her, "How are ya feelin?"_

"_Gambit?" Rogue asked. She couldn't believe her eyes. What was he doing here and by her bedside?_

"_Shh," Gambit told her, "Der's no need to get all distraught. Everythin will be alright. You'll see."_

"_What are you doing here?" she asked staring into his eyes. For once, she actually noticed. His eyes were red, bright red, and they were surrounded by dark mysterious black pools. She vividly remembered the day she first met him. They were normal eyes, just a regular dark brown eyes, but beautiful. Yet now she felt drawn to his red eyes. _

"_Ya weren't feelin too hot after your encounter with Apocalypse," he told her, "So I took ya home and made sure you were feelin okay." He smiled. And Rogue smiled back. Gambit had a way to make girls fall in love with him, that much Rogue knew with his love game and charm. He was certainly handsome, and charming. And that smile was sure to make girls swoon over him. But he was also mysterious and funny and completely understood her. That was how Rogue truly fell in love with Gambit._

"_Thank you," Rogue said weakly. She got up and sat in bed. There was a rush of blood to her head. She felt dizzy again._

"_Whoa der chére," Gambit said to her, and put a calming hand on her shoulder, "Ya need rest. No need to get up and out."_

"_Ah'm fine," Rogue told him reassuringly, "Trust me."_

_Gambit smiled and got up from his chair as Beast entered the room, "I'm sure you are chére. You always were quite de fighter. But au revoir pour maintenant." He then gave her a wink and left the room._

"_What did that mean?" Rogue asked Beast who was checking all her monitors._

"_I believe that meant, 'goodbye for now,'" He told her._

_And Rogue smiled, because she had a feeling, Gambit would be true to his word._

A couple of months later, the Cajun returned with his bags…

_The doorbell rang. Rogue ran down the stairs. "Will someone get that?" she asked as she stumbled down the stairs with laundry baskets. It seemed everyone was out doing something while she was left inside the house, doing her and Kitty's laundry. Kitty had paid her twenty bucks to do it while she went out to a concert. Rogue didn't really like this band, so it seemed like a good idea. Well now she was left home alone again, while everyone was out. _

_The doorbell rang again and again like a broken record. The person waiting at the door was impatient. After all since it was laundry day, Rogue was left to wearing something old. She wore dark black pants, dark black sweater and an olive green shirt over. Her hair was tied up in a sloppy fashion. She was tired and exhausted from doing all her chores today._

_The doorbell rang again and no one was there to answer the door. Rogue growled. She dropped all her baskets at the foot of the stairs and marched over to the door. Without looking she pulled open the door and screamed at the person standing there, "What do you want?" she angrily said. But then she looked in awe when she realized who was there at the door._

"_Good evening chére," he smiled, his famous smile, "What are ya doin on a beautiful Friday evening at home? I expected to be greeted by the Professor and not you." _

_Rogue shrugged, "Fine suit yourself." She grabbed her baskets and yelled out the Professor's name._

"_Non," Gambit rushed over to her, "I'll be fine with jus you tourin me around dis joint."_

"_Well ah've got a ton of laundry tah do Gambit," she told him as she carried the baskets towards the washers, "Ah'm sure the Professor won't mind tellin you what tah expect here at the Mansion. Besides, you're gonna have tah see him anyway."_

"_What if I help ya with some of dis laundry, den will ya give me a tour?" Gambit grinned._

_Rogue sighed. "Fine," she told him. After all, she could use all the help she could get. And he wasn't a guest anymore. After a couple of minutes of playing with laundry detergent and finally loading the washer and then dryer after the clothes were done, Rogue and Gambit laughed and walked around the Mansion._

"_Gambit," the Professor greeted him as they walked towards the stairs, "Nice seeing you here. Do you plan to stay here?"_

"_How about we talk about dat privately sir," Gambit told him, "I've got a few things I need to talk to you about."_

_The Professor nodded. "Okay, just follow me into my study. I do have a feeling you didn't just come here for pleasure."_

_Gambit sighed and followed him. "But I want Rogue to give me a tour of dis place, an' get some ol' Southern hospitality." He turned around and gave her a salute and then turned to follow the Professor._

_Rogue smiled at them until they faded into the dark shadows of the Mansion. But a beeping noise brought her back to the reality she was in: laundry was done. _

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. A phone rang, bringing Rogue back to the present and out of her dream world. The ringtone was a sappy love song that went something like, "We've got a strange love…but always finding our ways through the rocks that fall and divide us." Kitty, who was still sitting on her bed, reached for her phone on the vanity. It was obviously Lance, because the moment Kitty saw her phone she smiled. Kitty then gave Rogue a quick pat and ran out of the room. But she paused and calmed herself down before she answered calmly.

Rogue sighed and checked her cell phone. There were no messages. No messages from Remy. But what did she expect? He wasn't soft and vulnerable like Scott was who would have probably sent Jean a thousand texts and calls. She scoffed when she remembered the two of them fighting, and Scott calling almost every other minute. Rogue thought it was gross and sappy at the time, but now that she looked back on it, she thought it was sweet to know that he at least cared.

She opened her phone again. There was a text from James. It said: "When can I c u?" She sighed and checked her clock. It was 3 PM . He would see her when she would see him, which was never. Rogue felt like her old self again: alone, angry, and wanting to stay alone. She looked out the window and wondered what Gambit was doing.

* * *

Gambit sat outside on the porch. He threw his trench coat on the grass and did what he did best: playing with cards. Gambit set them out like a game of solitaire. He smiled because he had a memory in the back of his head.

_Rogue was sitting there at the kitchen table all alone with a glass of milk and a couple of cookies. She was playing solitaire. Gambit tried to sneak up on her. He reached for her cookies and at that moment a quick slap came down on his hand. Gambit immediately pulled back his hand and massaged it. Rogue hit him hard._

"_Don't take mah chocolate chip cookies," she warned him, "those are my favorite." She took a bite of out one of them and put them back on the plate. Rogue then reached for her glass of milk. All this time she never left her eyes from the game in front of her. Rogue was almost finished with the game. She had every single King down to the ace placed in the right spot, positioned to be put in each suit, except for a few cards: six diamonds all the way down to the ace of spades, a Jack of clubs and a ten. Up above, she had a nine and an eight and a seven. She was missing the Queen of Hearts. Rogue was clearly frustrated. She turned around angrily to Gambit and said, "Are ya gonna jus stand there an' mock me? Or are ya gonna leave me alone for once?"_

_Gambit smiled, "No I've come to jus watch and maybe help ya some."_

_Rogue growled, "Ah don't need your help Swamp Rat."_

_Gambit chuckled, "I'm sure you don't chére." He then reached into his pocket and placed a Queen of Hearts right where she needed it. "Like I said Rogue, you've got people looking out for ya." He then smiled and walked away._

"_Wait," Rogue called out to him, before he left the room, "Ah'm sorry about tha way ah acted towards you. Ah'm jus frustrated is all. Ah should be showin you a lil more Southern hospitality. After all you are new here, an' ah want tah show more kindness towards you than what mah teammates did when ah first came here. You should know that you're more than welcome here." _

_Gambit walked back and smiled at her. He then sat down at the table. Rogue smiled back at him and offered him her plate of cookies. He carefully took one and looked at her before he took a bite. Rogue laughed. "It's okay you can have one. Ah offered one tah you didn't ah?" Gambit smiled and nodded. These cookies were good. "Ah baked them myself." Rogue told him like she read his mind, "Somethin mah mom taught me. Ya know, Mystique." Gambit nodded. He couldn't help but feel bad for the girl. Mystique was her mother and she was hunting her new family down. But she had to know that Mystique actually cared for her in some twisted way. _

"_Listen chére," Gambit said as he gulped down the cookie, "By de way, dese are delicious!" Rogue smiled. "But ya know Mystique is jus tryin to make sure you're okay." He gulped down the last part of the cookie and before he said anything, he looked at Rogue. She was sad and still angry at herself, he could tell. "Hey," he said trying to cheer her up, "Let's play a game of poker, oui?" Rogue smiled._

"_Did someone say poker?" Wolverine walked into the kitchen. He stopped when he saw Gambit, "What is Cajun doin in our kitchen?" He looked at Rogue with a funny look in his eyes, "What did I say about bringing strangers into our house Rogue?"_

"_Relax Logan," Rogue told him, "Gambit's a part of tha family now. He's stayin here. Professor even got him a room and stuff."_

_Logan growled and pulled up a chair. "Fine," he looked at Gambit, "Deal em."_

"_Did I hear someone is playing a game of Poker?" Beast asked as he ran into the kitchen. He smiled when he found Gambit. "Figures you'd be the one to start it." Beast pulled up a chair and sat down. _

_The game was pretty much a tug between Beast and Gambit. One would win one game, another would win one game, and so on and so forth. Rogue and Wolverine were mostly left in the dust. But it was Rogue's first time playing, so it wasn't a shock she wasn't doing too well. The Professor even came in and would help out Rogue occasionally, but even then she wouldn't win._

"_I win! I win!" Beast yelled as he took all the cookies in the center. They didn't have any money, so they used Rogue's cookies. _

"_Well ah'm all out," Rogue sighed as she pushed herself away from the table. "Ah didn't think tha cookies ah baked would be used in poker. Ah baked em for everyone here tah eat."_

"_Wait Rogue," Gambit said. She immediately turned around. "I'll give ya one cookie so you can play again."_

"_Fine but that's it!" Rogue said as she sat down again, "Ah'm not playin anymore after this." She sighed and waited for Gambit to deal again. Wolverine put down one cookie, Gambit put down two. Beast put down three. Gambit put down two more cookies, and Beast put down three. Gambit put down one cookie, and Beast put the rest of the cookies he had. _

"_What are you doing Gambit?" The Professor asked in his mind. "You don't really have much to win with that."_

_Gambit responded, "I know. I'm bluffing."_

"_Well I see that," The Professor replied mentally, "but that's not going to get you anywhere."_

"_But who said I was playin to win?" Gambit smirked. _

_And as each player put their cards down, Rogue's frown grew into a smile. "Ah won!" She shouted in glee. "Ah won! Ah won! Ah won!" Rogue smirked at all of them and took one cookie. She then walked away and back to her room._

_The Professor smiled, "I see what you did Gambit." He said in his mind and Gambit grinned._

"_I swear Cajun!" Wolverine growled and tossed his chair, "I saw what you did for her! You've got yourself a soft spot for one of my students? Lettin her win by dealing the cards all nicely for her," He scoffed. Wolverine then grabbed Gambit by the collar and looked him deep in the eyes, "Well lemme lay it down for you. Next time you do something like that and especially when there's real money involved, you ain't gonna see another Queen of Hearts again!" Wolverine then tossed him back in his chair and stormed out muttering something._

_Beast smirked at him and then ate another cookie. The Professor shook his head. Gambit grinned even wider. "What?" he shrugged. "I guess I've got myself a soft spot for the Reine de Coeurs." He lay back in his chair and sighed, "Looks like I'm gonna enjoy my time here."_

_But it wasn't like Rogue wasn't good at any other card games…_

"_Have you guys ever heard of playin Blackjack or Texas Hold Em?" Rogue whinned as she sat around the same three guys. She didn't want to go to a college party much to Kitty's dismay, especially with all the touching and awkwardness, so she sat with the same three guys. Though Rogue decided to stay at a nearby college, she wanted to dorm at home back at the Institute to save up some money. But even though she rarely partied, Gambit could tell that she was happy. _

"_Yeah chére," Gambit said as he played around with the deck of cards, "After all ma name is Gambit. I can play any game dat requires cards."_

"_Well ah'm good at those two games, especially Blackjack," Rogue taunted him, "Why don't we play those? Unless you're scared?" _

_Wolverine and Beast laughed. "We can even play with money," Beast offered and pulled out a wad full of cash. "Unless all of you are scared?" He looked around and each one of them pulled out their wallets._

"_Blackjack," Wolverine looked at Rogue, "is a man's game." He placed his money on the table, "Besides you don't got much money college girl. Go use it on your books."_

"_Blackjack," Rogue answered him coolly, "is for anyone, unless you're not man enough or tryin tah scare a lil girl like me." Gambit and Beast snickered. "Besides," Rogue replied, "Ah've got money, from a mechanic job ah've been doin. Almost gettin as good as Forge. An' ah can use tha money ah wipe from all of y'all for books."_

"_Well let's play den instead of talkin cheap," Gambit replied and dealed the cards. _

_Well in the end, Gambit found himself awestruck. He found the first girl to ever beat him and not just once but several times. Rogue wiped them all out clean and occasionally he could come up close to beating her, but came out second. "Well look at that," Gambit whistled when Rogue beat him again, "Elle m'a battu de nouveau! Je n'ai jamais perdu auparavant et pas cela mal non plus!" He sighed and pulled out his wallet for more cash and went fishing for more. _

"_Translation please Beast?" Rogue turned to him._

"_If I believe this is right, my French is a little rusty, forgive me," Beast cleared his throat, "Gambit said, 'She beat me again! I have never lost before and especially not this bad either!"_

"_Oui oui monsieur," Gambit frowned, "but this is true."_

"_Merci monsieur," Beast grinned and then rubbed his head. "Rogue you've managed to wipe me all out. I'm afraid I can't play anymore."_

"_Me too," Gambit sighed and put back his wallet. "I've been robbed."_

"_Well," Rogue said as she counted the money she was holding, "Looks like ah'll be able to buy all my books this year and next year." She grinned and stood up, "Since all of y'all losers are wiped out, ah'm leaving." Rogue then walked out to her room happily._

_Wolverine growled, "Listen bub," he looked him calmly in the eyes, "If I found out that you had let that girl win, it'll be the death of you." He then raised up his hand and withdrew his claws to show he was serious._

_Gambit put his hands up to surrender, "Look Wolverine," he told him, "Would I want to lose more than three hundred bucks? For once Rogue beat me fair and square. No tricks or anythin."_

"_I'm afraid he's right Wolverine. He's serious," Beast told him as he got up from his chair, "Rogue wiped me out with my whole paycheck for the week." He sighed, "I brought the money thinking that I wouldn't lose it all, or at least stop before I lost it all. She has a ton of money and I learned not to play Rogue again at Blackjack. Maybe at poker, but not at Blackjack," He then walked out of the room._

"_Well," Wolverine told Gambit as he too got up, "Looks like you're not the King of Cards or King of Hearts anymore."_

"_What's dat suppose to me?" Gambit glared at him._

_Wolverine grinned and started to walk towards the door, "Not only did you lose Blackjack big time, but you're startin to fall for the little lady, am I right?" He then walked out of the room to leave Gambit to think on his own. Wolverine was right._

"Gambit?" Kitty asked, interrupting his thoughts. "What are you doing?"

"Playin solitaire," he looked at her suspiciously, "What does it look like I'm doin?"

"Nothing actually or going crazy," Kitty replied, "That's not solitaire," she then pointed at the cards below him. They were all placed as if he was playing the game, but they weren't placed correctly. One part had all spades and all clubs. They didn't go red and black, but was all black. Then one part mixed up the hearts and the diamonds and some clubs. The numbers were out of order and nothing was right. Gambit sighed and Kitty giggled. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Non," he admitted. "I jus don't understand…"

"Rogue?" Kitty asked. "You don't understand Rogue?"

"Yeah," Gambit scoffed. It was funny, he found himself talking to her own roommate, her good friend, when it should have been him and Rogue talking about their feelings. They were good friends but it soon turned to something else.

"Well let's just say she loves you more than you know," Kitty told him, "But I'm not the one who should be saying that. It should be her and it should be you."

Gambit sighed. "Well I've been tryin but…"

"Well keep trying Gambit!" Kitty replied, "You know, I would hear stories about how you were such a ladies man, charming ladies easily. Well this time you have a challenge. Rogue isn't too easy to charm. But you've got one playing card on your side, the Queen of Hearts. Rogue loves you."

Gambit smiled, "Thanks chére."

Kitty smiled back, "You're welcome. I just think that you and Rogue make the cutest couple ever, no matter what Jean says. But I want to know, what is your favorite memory of you and Rogue?"

Gambit chuckled, "I'd say de first time she'd ever call me Remy."

"That's your real name?" Kitty asked and Gambit nodded, "What happened?"

_Rogue was sittin alone outside. She had jus beat me at Blackjack several times. Maybe she was jus really good, but after seeing her under de stars, I had a different opinion. Rogue wasn't wearing what she usually wore back in high school. She was wearing a nice red jacket an tight black pants. Kinda like what I saw when I first walked after comin back from New Orleans jus a few days ago. But for de first time I actually realized dat I loved her more than anyone. _

_We walked around de gardens for a while. Ya don't know how much I wanted to kiss her right den and der. She was jus so beautiful an' I finally found my match. Rogue was good at cards an' someone I'd actually wanna change my bad habits for. We had somethings in common and she certainly was a challenge. An' when she called me Remy, something Bella Donna only really did, I don't know how to describe it. Somethin jus changed inside of me. Usually only my real good friends call me Remy, but she did it and without asking and without even thinkin bout it either, like as if we were good enough friends already. _

Gambit sighed. He had been doing a lot of going back to his past lately.

"I never knew something like calling a person by their real name could be so romantic!" Kitty giggled. She grabbed his hand and lifted him up from the ground. "C'mon! You're talking to Rogue now!"

"Nah Kitty, I don't want to rush it," Gambit said pulling himself back down. He grabbed all his cards and put them into a deck. Gambit put his hands in his pockets.

Immediately Jean came running towards them, "Kitty and Gambit! There's trouble! A few of those Sentinel robots are loose and fighting against the poor Morlocks and other mutants! We need to stop them! And all the defeated mutants and being caged by this anti-Mutant defense called the MRD!"

"What's that?" Gambit asked as he stood up.

"It stands for Mutant Response Division," Jean told them impatiently, "It was started by our old principal, Richard Kelly, who is now a Senator! He is very anti-Mutant! But you need to get suited up so we can fight against these robots!" Jean then turned and ran towards the jet.

"Well," Kitty sighed, "Looks like we'll never see the end of this, will we Gambit?" She looked at him. Kitty quickly phased through the Mansion to get her clothes in her room and then came back out.

But Gambit didn't notice because was looking at Rogue, who then turned and looked at him. However, he immediately turned away and looked at Kitty, "Guess not." He replied and frowned, but he wasn't talking about the Sentinels. Gambit then picked up his trench coat and turned back to face Rogue and ran towards the jet, unaware of what he would have to face.


	9. Miz Marvel VS Miss Telepath

**Author's Note: Sorry I keep changing which show it belongs to. Well it's a crossover now!**

Rogue sighed and sat down in a window seat. She took one good look at the Mansion: her home. Rogue plopped her feet on the extra chair. No one was sitting next to her, as she expected. Kitty usually sat next to her, but ever since Colossus joined them, no that was wrong, actually ever since Gambit joined the team, Kitty left her alone. As Kitty would say, she wanted to leave the "lovebirds alone". Rogue growled. Lovebirds. As if that was what she and Gambit were. But then again, she was angry when she found out Gambit was married, and why did it matter if they were just friends?

Kitty walked and smiled at Rogue as she passed by. She hoped Kitty would sit next to her because she didn't want to sit alone, or for that matter, by Gambit. And at that moment Gambit walked sadly into the jet, looking down. "_Please don't sit here,_" she prayed. He wasn't himself. He wasn't smiling. He didn't have that same suave walk. Gambit walked by Rogue and looked at her with red somber eyes. They flashed when they made eye contact. Rogue immediately sat up in her chair and put her feet down. She looked up at Gambit, wondering if he was going to sit there. Gambit then looked down and walked to a seat in the back.

Rogue opened her mouth in shock. He didn't even try to sit with her. He didn't even send a flirtatious glance at her or even smile. Even Kitty who was sitting behind her opened her mouth in shock. She made her way to Rogue but she just put her hand up, telling her to go back to Colossus.

Then James, who was sitting behind Rogue, made his way to her seat and sat down. Rogue faked smiled at him and then looked away to the window. She sighed. She knew she was not going to enjoy this.

_In the meanwhile…_

Gambit sighed and played with his cards in the back. He noticed Rogue turning around every now and then to look at him. But he also noticed her laughing and smiling, something he hadn't seen in a while. Something he envied about James, that rotten little Scooter jr.

"These robots were used to fight Apocalypse if you do recall them," The Professor said to all of them, "And with Apocalypse's event showing how dangerous mutants can be, well, unfortunately, there are a lot of Anti-Mutant feelings going around starting by none other than your old principal turned into Senator, Richard Kelly. Sentinel production has been started again and I fear another war is coming along."

"Our mission this time is to defeat the Sentinels and save those poor Morlocks, yet making sure the people around us are safe," Scott told them.

The jet came to a complete stop, jerking everyone forward. Storm sat co-pilot while Logan drove the jet around. Gambit looked at the way he smiled at Storm, and the way she smiled back. It seemed to him that everyone was falling in love except him: Kitty and Colossus, despite Rock boy's protests, the ever-loving perfect couple Scott and Jean, and now Storm and Logan. Who was next? "_You and Rogue,_" a voice inside his head said.

"X-men, let's move," Scott commanded them as the door opened. They all got up and immediately ran out the door. But Gambit had another idea in mind.

* * *

The Morlocks, which Jean had told them about, were long gone. And the MRD was nowhere in sight. "There are too many of them!" Amara yelled as she burned up another Sentinel. Bobby, on the other hand, was trying to freeze up another one but to no use. More kept coming and it was to no avail. Rogue would jump from high above onto the robot and tear off his head. She seemed to be doing most of the damage. And to finish it up, Gambit would come and throw cards to destroy the robot. However, on this last robot, she took off the head and was running off its shoulders. He then threw his cards knocking out the robot and throwing Rogue to the ground. But Gambit was able to catch her before her head hit the ground.

"Are you okay chére?" Gambit asked as he held her in his arms.

"Yeah but ah wouldn't have needed any savin fram ya if ya hadn't gone an' thrown your stupid cards Swamp Rat!" Rogue angrily answered back.

"How bout a kiss to make up for savin ya life, oui?" He asked with a smirk.

Rogue smirked back and removed her glove. She quickly placed her hand on his cheek absorbing some of his powers. "How bout ah jus take some of your power so ah can save mahself?" She then got up from his arms and ran towards a Sentinel.

Gambit, who wasn't completely out of it, shook his head to get rid of the dizziness. "Well if dats how ya gonna play, dats fine with Remy," he smirked and followed right behind. There were three large Sentinel robots left, and it didn't seem like there were any more coming back. Gambit grabbed Rogue's arm to make her face him. "We need to talk chére."

Rogue pulled away from him. "This isn't tha time and place Remy! We're in tha middle of a battle right now! If ya wanna talk, then ya should at least wait till we're done!"

Gambit then smirked and walked up to the Sentinels. He placed a hand on each Sentinel, making them light up like the cards he held up. Gambit then stepped away from the robots and yawned as he did. In a split second the robots blew up, while the one next to it also blew up from the explosion. Jean quickly created a force field around the robots to keep the debris from the Sentinels from hitting the buildings and the people around it. She sighed and fell down to the ground once it was finished. "Could you maybe think before you blow up the whole robot?" She yelled at him.

Scott yelled at him also, "You almost destroyed the buildings nearby with that explosion Gambit!"

"Next time," Jean replied breathlessly, "Destroy their head or an arm or a leg, something! But don't destroy their whole body! Stop being so careless and lazy!" Scott nodded in agreement.

"How bout you jus leave him alone Jean?" Rogue answered back.

She felt a hand on her stomach pushing her back. Gambit gave her a warning look. "Jus leave it be chére," he told her softly, "I'm fine. Gambit's not gonna let her get to me. I don't care what Jean or Scooter says."

"No," she angrily told him and then turned back to Jean, who was being helped up by Scott. "He did his job. He destroyed the Sentinels and everyone is safe. Why can't you just be happy with that?"

Soon all of the X-men started forming a circle around them. They were just watching. Kitty, however, stayed the closest to Rogue, whom she could tell was getting angrier by the moment.

"I am happy Rogue," Jean retorted, "Why can't you ever be happy? Why do you always have to sulk around? And since when do you care about Gambit? Last I heard you were over him!" At that most of the younger boy X-men started to back up. They knew where this was going and it was not going to end happily.

"Ya liked me chére?" Gambit asked her, and Rogue just looked away.

Jean looked up in exasperation and threw her hands up angrily, "You know why can't you just be happy for someone else for once and stop being so self-centered?"

Rogue growled. "Cuse me? What are you tryin tah say?"

"I'm just saying that you can't just stand the fact that Scott and I are happy! I see the way you look at us whenever we hold hands and what you think whenever him and I are together." Jean answered back.

"Jus lay low chére," Gambit tried holding her back, but she was pushing him away also. "She's not worth it. She's jus tellin ya lies to get ya angry!"

He tried holding her back but she kept kicking. Soon Bobby and Sunfire and Berzerker came to help Gambit out, but Rogue pushed them all away. Something inside her came alive, like she felt stronger and fiercer, just like when she fought Ms. Marvel with the Brotherhood. She had been having problems with it before, so she came to the Professor for help. He blocked her out and her powers which she absorbed. Now they were slowly coming to her and she was regaining control of those powers.

"What did you say?" Rogue asked slowly, as if she was warning her not to make her angry.

Jean, however, was completely unaware of this. So she answered back, "You're jealous and self-centered and angry at the world all the time! Grow up Rogue!"

"That's it!" Rogue yelled back at her and angrily stomped one foot into the hard ground, causing a small but strong earthquake towards Jean, making Scott fly into the crowd of X-men. "Ya know, you're right miz Perfect. Ah am jealous. But ah'm also sick and tired of you!" She angrily yelled. "Look at me, look at me," she mocked Jean's high pitched voice, "Why don't you grow up? You make me sick!" Rogue angrily yelled at Jean, "You always readin mah mind like it's some kinda gossip magazine! Yeah ah'm jealous of you! Jealous of ya perfect boyfriend, jealous of ya perfect hair, jealous of ya perfect life!" She walked right up to Jean and stared her right in the eyes, "But ah don't give a shit! Ah don't give a shit about you or Scott! And it was wrong of you tah even think that!"

Jean cowered back in fear, "Rogue, I…" she said trying to explain herself.

"No, you listen here Jean," Rogue interrupted her, "What ah'm really jealous of, is your ability to touch! You can hold his hand, you can kiss his lips, and you can touch his face! But all ah can do is watch! You _thought_ that ah was jealous of y'all being! Well you thought wrong."

"Rogue, I had no idea! I'm sorry," she walked up to her and put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. Jean tried to give her a hug.

"Stay away from me!" She yelled and forcefully pushed Jean away, causing her to fly far away. Luckily Jean was able to stop herself before she ran into anything.

Jean flew back towards her, "Rogue you need to calm down before you hurt any of us."

Rogue angrily yelled back, "Make me!" And soon she found herself eye to eye with Jean. "You are not tha boss of me!" She could easily see that Jean was very scared of her. Rogue, however, was also scared. She did not know what in the world was going on. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Wolverine rushing every single one of the X-men into the jet. Storm stepped from the jet and flew towards the two feuding girls.

"Girls," Storm told them, with lightning looming in the area. Her mood always changed with the weather. "You two need to put aside your differences _now_. You two are friends and on the same team. Let's not forget that!"

"How can ah be friends with a girl who jus wants to beat me?" Rogue asked, "From tha day ah joined the X-men, ah've been tormented by Jean! She and Scott have always hated me!" She was close to tearing up, "At school, in tha danger room, on tha battlefield! It never ends!"

"Rogue I never meant to cause you torment!" Jean tried pleading with her, but Rogue was just ignoring her. So she decided to try a mental approach, "_Please stop fighting with me._"

"Stay out of mah mind Jean Grey!" Rogue yelled at her, "Ah hate when ya do that! Jus leave me alone!"

Gambit watched alongside Scott from the front of the jet. "_I wanna help her_," he thought as he found her squirming around in the air. He couldn't for now, but he wanted to know where she got this new power from. "Professor," Gambit asked, "What is goin on with Rogue?"

"Yeah," Nightcrawler asked as he poofed in front of the Professor. Kurt was such a good brother to her, Gambit agreed. He was always there for her and he made Rogue smile. But there was also a plus, Kurt always told Gambit that he liked if he would ask Rogue out. Gambit would always laugh at that because every time he would flirt with Rogue she would push him away. He never understood that, especially when Jean admitted that Rogue loved him.

"It seems to me," The professor added, interrupting Gambit's thoughts, "that Rogue is going through some major changes. When she first came along, she needed help with her powers. I always thought it was controlling her absorbing powers. I didn't think she meant Ms. Marvel's powers. But I could tell Ms. Marvel was bothering her, so I put her far away in the back of mind, and unfortunately taking away Ms. Marvel's powers along with it."

"Who is dis Miz Marvel?" Gambit asked.

"She was a strong mutant who had the ability to fly, super strength, and quick healing powers. Her real name was Carol Danvers. I never knew her powers would be coming back. But I made sure that Carol Danvers does not try to take over Rogue's body," the Professor added, "And Rogue has shown some progress in gaining control over her powers, which she has proven to me today, when she gained these powers. Plus, she has gained some control over her powers."

"Vhat do ya mean Professor?" Kurt asked.

"I have noticed that whenever she touches any of the X-men it does not drain your power or take some of your life source as much as when she would touch an enemy," The Professor answered him, "However, the longer she holds the deadlier she becomes, which is not something she can control."

"Well Gambit over here would like that," Scott smirked. He noticed Gambit's glare and realized what he had forgotten to do. "I mean roi de coeurs," he bowed but with a smirk. The Professor looked to Kurt for answers but all Kurt could do was just explain that it was a bet.

Gambit growled. "Say what ya want to Scooter. I'm gonna be a real man an' help Rogue out!" He ran out to Jean and Rogue.

"What brought this on from Rogue?" Scott asked.

"Jean did," the Professor replied, "Jean provoked her, and Rogue couldn't take it. Jean took it a little too far."

Scott breathed in. He wasn't going to fight with the Professor. Now he was going to witness a girl fight. Scott faced forward and watched as Gambit ran alongside the wall.

Gambit ran along the left side of the wall to get closer to Rogue. She and Jean were arguing and Storm was trying to intervene. It wasn't helping. Rogue had to be calmed down. Gambit pulled out his stick from his trench coat and opened it up fully. He jumped up against the wall and used his stick to help launch himself from the wall and onto Rogue. Gambit landed on Rogue and got a hold of her shoulders.

She looked at him and glared. "What are ya doin Remy?"

Gambit laughed. "Ya called me Remy." He grinned.

And Rogue smiled slightly. She laughed a little, "What are ya tryin tah do Remy?" She was still floating up in the air. Rogue raised her eyebrow, but Gambit saw that she was also smiling.

"I'm tryin to calm you down, like I've been tryin to do before ya went all Miz Marvel on me chére," He hung on tight to her waist. "Jean isn't worth de fight. So get down here and stop tryin to fight her." Gambit jumped down and landed with a thud, but he got back up. He stood in the center and looked at Rogue. "Chére, come down from there."

Rogue slowly came down, but a sudden shot at her made her lose consciousness. The vans from where the shot came from had an army of men. Two men jumped up and caught Rogue. They then ran back to the van putting her inside. He couldn't see what was written on the side of the van, but just as quickly as they came, they left.


End file.
